Boycott apologises for ‘unacceptable’ remark

England legend had last week said he needed to ‘black up his face’ to get a knighthood

Controversial England batting legend Geoff Boycott made a grovelling apology yesterday for remarking he needed to “black up his face” to get a knighthood at an event last week.

The 76-year-old astonished his audience with his comment during a question-and-answer session in one of the intervals at last week’s first Test with the West Indies.

Boycott said knighthoods had been bestowed on West Indian cricketers like “confetti”.

“Mine’s been turned down twice. I’d better black me face,” Boycott is reported to have said according to a guest at the event cited by The Daily Mirror.

The guest at the event — which cost 300 pounds (Dh1,413; $385, 327 euros) to attend — said the remark though intended as a joke was “crass” and went down like a “lead balloon”.

However, Boycott took to Twitter yesterday to unreservedly apologise.

“Speaking at an informal gathering I was asked a question and I realise my answer was unacceptable,” he tweeted.

“I meant no offence but what I said was clearly wrong and I apologise unreservedly.

“I have loved West Indian cricket my whole life and have the utmost respect for its players.”

West Indies greats like Viv Richards, Garfield Sobers and Curtly Ambrose have been knighted while the last England cricketer to be knighted was Ian Botham in 2007.

A durable but unspectacular opening batsman, Boycott played 108 Tests, scoring 8114 runs with 22 centuries at an average of 47.72.